By
Elizabeth Robinson |
Global certification firm Bureau Veritas is now issuing both classification and statutory e-certificates following successful pilots with ship owners and flag states.
The digital certificates can now be issued on behalf of 52 flag states, representing 72% of the Bureau Veritas classed fleet.
E-certificates reduce paperwork and can be delivered by email or accessed by the My VeriSTAR mobile application and the VeriSTAR information desktop portal. This reduces the administrative burden both onboard and ashore.
“With a significant number of flag states providing their support to this project we now expect to see the rapid development of e-certification,” said Patrick Le-Dily, vice-president of Bureau Veritas. “The pace of that development should increase as more flag states come onboard.”
Bureau Veritas implemented the electronic signature feature of the new digital certificates working with electronic signature company Cert Europe. Cert Europe is certified in accordance with applicable technical requirements and specifications for class and statutory certification and supports digital certification for the Bureau Veritas Group.
“We continue to digitise the class business,” said Laurent Hentges, vice-president of Operational Excellence and Information Systems, Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore. “Our e-certification capability now provides the industry with the opportunity to benefit from further digital efficiency – reducing administration, reducing costs and improving accuracy with peace of mind, under-written by a secured solution.”
“Bureau Veritas solutions are scalable, to anticipate possible technology developments,” added Hentges. “For example, e-certificates data could be moved from Bureau Veritas system into a blockchain, where the maritime data could be shared and made directly transparent to the involved stakeholders.”
Bureau Veritas e-certificates provide benefits for all stakeholders, including reducing administrative time and costs, providing secured accuracy and eliminating the loss of or damage to original certificates. They also reduce the opportunities for fraud - no modification is possible without invalidating a signature.
Bureau Veritas e-certificates display the usual content and layout of class and statutory documents and they incorporate an electronic signature. Every time a Bureau Veritas surveyor goes onboard a vessel a new version of the e-certificate is issued to reflect either the endorsement or the renewal of the required certification. Endorsement, managed via e-certification, requires that no document now will need to be manually signed and stamped.